Art Basel Hong Kong, contemporary art fair, one of the most important events in the world art calendar, which was to be held from 19 to 21 March 2020, was canceled due to the coronavirus epidemic. This was reported by the newspaper “Kommersant”.
Art Basel fair in Basel, Hong Kong and Miami, watch fair Baselworld and other major salons and exhibitions are organized by the Swiss group MCH. Its CEO, Bernd Stadlwieser, said he “has explored other possible options, such as moving the exhibition, and has collected all the opinions of gallery owners, partners and outside experts. However, he sees no other solution than to cancel the fair, which has been held in Hong Kong since 2013.
Dealers are reimbursed 75% of the money paid for the stands. Some of them suggested that Art Basel insurance should also cover the additional costs, but experts explain that epidemics and pandemics are often deliberately excluded from insurance contracts.
Many dealers have long called for the abolition of Art Basel, as the seven-month protests in Hong Kong have increased tensions in the art market. On January 16, 24 galleries sent a letter to Art Basel’s management expressing concern about the decline in the number of collectors and art patrons going to visit the fair and that China’s growing control threatens freedom of speech in this semi-autonomous region.
The organizers expect the next Art Basel Hong Kong to be held from March 25-27, 2021.
The 16th Asian Contemporary Art Exhibition 2020 (March 13 – March 16, 2020) provided a unique opportunity for art galleries and artists to participate in Hong Kong Art Week, the cornerstone of the Hong Kong art calendar. The show began with an exciting art week of celebration, followed by Art Central and Art Basel, and welcomed local and international collectors and art lovers.
Recognized as the Asian Centre for Contemporary Art, Hong Kong is the world’s third-largest art market and remains the only duty-free and duty-free port of call for the import and export of artwork in the region. It is home to a large community of collectors and high-income locals and immigrants and is close to art buyers from China and other parts of Asia.
Art Basel fair is rescheduled for 2021
The major international contemporary art exhibition Art Basel, scheduled for March next 2021 year in Hong Kong, will be postponed until May. This was announced by the event organizers.
“In light of the ongoing impact of the pandemic and related travel restrictions, Art Basel decided to postpone the upcoming exhibition. In 2021, it will be held in the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre from 21 to 23 May”, the organizers expect.
In March this year, this event has already been canceled. It brings together about 88 thousand people – collectors, dealers, representatives of the art business, auction houses, and art galleries from Asia, the USA, and Europe. Besides Hong Kong, Art Basel is annually held in Switzerland and Miami (Florida, USA).
Art Basel Hong Kong will once again unite the art world as galleries, artists, collectors and art lovers from all over Asia and around the world gather at one of the most prestigious international art events.
Hong Kong show
Our show in Hong Kong, held at the Hong Kong Exhibition Center, features the best galleries from Asia and other countries. Underlining Art Basel’s commitment to the region, half of the participating galleries again have exhibition space in Asia and Asia Pacific. The show provides a deep overview of the diversity of the region with both historical materials and the most contemporary works by famous and emerging artists.
Show
With more than half of the participating galleries from Asia and Asia Pacific, our show in Hong Kong not only provides a portal for artists from the region, but also offers galleries from around the world a platform to deliver their highest quality works to Asia.
Exhibitors
Leading galleries from all over the world participate in Art Basel – these are exhibitions in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong, demonstrating the highest quality of modern and contemporary works.
Galleries
Galleries sector presents works of art from the world’s leading galleries of modern and contemporary art, which include paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, films, video and digital works of art of the 20th-21st centuries.
Reflections
Insights presents carefully selected projects involving artists from Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, covering Turkey and New Zealand, including Asia, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent. The sector allows you to understand artists’ careers, specific themes and periods of creativity from 1900 to the present day.
Conversations
Art Basel holds a series of talks on topics related to the global contemporary art scene. The conversations offer a platform for dynamic dialogues between outstanding representatives of the international art world, each of which offers its own unique perspective on production, collection and exhibition of art. The series includes artist presentations, discussions and discussions with various speakers, including artists, gallery owners, curators, collectors, architects, art lawyers, critics and many other cultural figures. The conversations are programmed by Stephanie Bailey.
Recognized as a major art event in Asia
Recognized as the main art event in Asia, this is where you can see the latest developments in contemporary art from all over Asia, as well as the best from the West.
Creating each year a fresh mix of galleries from six continents, featuring works of art from both well-known and newcomers from all over the world, Art Basel has quickly established itself as a niche among art lovers, exhibitors, collectors, curators and galleries around the world.
For collectors
For collectors, Art Basel Hong Kong is attracted not only by the opportunity to see a wide range of works in many genres, including paintings, photographs, film and video, sculpture and much more, but also by the fact that they come from a large and diverse cultural and geographical area, but also because there is no tax on import and export of works of art in Hong Kong.
It is expected that some 250 galleries will participate in seven exhibition sectors:
Galleries: this is the main section, galleries bring their best work
Discoveries: Presentation of novice artists and galleries from around the world
Insights: bring art from galleries and artists from the wider Asian market
Meeting: large sculptures and installations throughout the exhibition
Kabinett: specially curated space on various topics
Magazine: a magazine that will present art publications from around the world
Film: a three-day program of artists
The American Dream with Asian roots is shown in New York
The first Triennale of the Asian Society – a festival of exhibitions, performances, and open discussions – finally started in the fall at various venues in New York City after its opening, originally scheduled for June, had to be postponed due to the pandemic.
The subtitle of the triennial, “We Don’t Dream Alone,” refers to Yoko Ono’s 1964 book, Grapefruit, where she wrote: “When you dream about something alone, it may be just a dream, but when two people dream together, it’s already a reality. The book contains, as Boon Hui Tang, director of the Asia Society Museum and art director of the Triennale, “a ready-made set of provocations for the reader that can be easily built into everyday life – actions that can be performed without waiting for recognition or approval from the government or parents. In the overwhelming majority of cases, these are actions that can be performed with someone else to create a connection, and this is especially important because xenophobia still divides us”.
One of the first exhibitions to open as part of the triennial was a joint project between the Society of Asia and the New York Historical Society. At Dreaming Together, works from the collections of the two institutions are displayed side by side to highlight common features. The exhibits include two 50-meter-long photo scrolls depicting the destruction of the World Trade Center towers by Vietnamese artist Dinh C. Le, who was granted refugee status in the United States, and the work “Chinese Shang Shui (Landscape) – Tattoo” (1999) by Huang Yan for which the artist’s wife Zhang Tomei painted his body with traditional Chinese landscapes. Next to them are works such as a series of five paintings by American landscape painter Thomas Cole, The Way of the Empire (1834-1836), dedicated to the history of the brutal death of a society that has departed from pastoralism.
The Triennale is a chance to broaden the horizons for Asian-American communities that may have lost touch with their cultural roots, and for other Americans who may not be as familiar and familiar with this region of the world.
Different Places in New York
Asian Society Triennale
Until June 27, 2021
TPAM Performing Arts Festival to be held in Yokohama
The program of the Asian Performing Arts Festival TPAM includes theatrical and interdisciplinary projects from Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, China, and Thailand.
TPAM (Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama) is a space where professionals from around the world who explore the possibilities of contemporary performing arts share information, inspiration and contacts to create, disseminate and develop the performing arts. Established in 1995 as Tokyo Performing Arts Market and moved to Yokohama’s Creative City in 2011, TPAM has gained international recognition as one of the most influential performing arts platforms in Asia.
The festival’s poster consists of a core program and a fringe program and includes international art market events.
The main program includes the immersive project “Seksyen 19” – a dance ritual next door to Lee Ren Xin, the site-specific performance “nothing’s for something” by Heine Avdal and Yukiko Shinozaki, dance project “Freeway Dance” by Ayaka Nakama, sociopolitical performance “Retreat” by Thanapol Virulhakul, Reina Kimura, Hokuto Kodama, Sachi Masuda, Osamu Shinichi.
You can see the full program here.
